Don't Give up on Me (Please)

'The door gets pushed open lightly and he whimpers even louder, now starting to sob.

"Gee?" he hears a familiar worried voice and gasps, head shooting up and eyes wide. "Gerard, oh my God, what happened?!"'

Gerard whimpers louder and makes grabby hands up at his brother, feeling vulnerable and weak like a small child.

"Shit, Gee," Mikey whispers rushing over and wrapping his arms around his older brother. "What happened? Was it--" he stops at the sight of the pills scattered across the seat and he glares at Gerard. "How many have you taken?"

"N-None!" Gerard whimpers, eyes filling with tears as he shakes his head rapidly. "None, I w-was going to because I c-can't, Mikey," he sobs, gripping his hair. "I can't do this anymore! I d-don't love Bert! I don't w-want to do the drugs and drink anymore! I want my family back," he whispers to the floor, eyes closing and tears dripping onto his shoes. "I want Frank and Phoenix and Max and Orion."

Mikey smiles sympathetically at Gerard and helps him up, gasping at the bruises all over his torso. "Gerard, did Ber--"

"Yes," he whispers, refusing to look up. "He-- He'll be back soon. Very soon."

"Okay," Mikey mumbles, still helping Gerard to get out of the room. "You're coming back to mine. We're gonna call Frank and get him a flight down here, okay?"

"No!" Gerard squeaks, arms flailing slightly. "Mikey, no. Please, no. I-I'll come back to yours but n-no Frank. He.. He's probably forgotten all about me by now and is married to an amazing guy who's taken over my role as fa--"

"Shut up," Mikey snaps, glaring at his brother. "Come on."

He grabs Gerard by his arm and pulls him out of their Bert's house and drives to his own.

~*~

"He called me yesterday, Gee. He said he tried to call you but you didn't pick up. Why? Were you too fucked in the head? Were you doing coke? Heroin? Drinking? Fucking Be--"

"No," Gerard mumbles, head in his hands. "None of those. I ignored it. I knew it'd only hurt me more if I spoke to him."

Mikey sighs sympathetically and wraps his arm around his brother's shoulders. "Look, Gee. Call him. He was crying for fuck sake. He loves you so fucking much. He knows how fucked up Bert's making you and he knows that you want out. He wants to see you. Just-- Please." Just as Gerard's about to talk back, his mobile rings and on the caller ID reads 'Frank'. He glances at Mikey who nods at the phone with a smile. "I'll go into the kitchen."

Gerard breathes out shakily and presses 'answer' before placing the phone by his ear. "H-Hello?"

"Gee?" comes a quiet whisper through the receiver. He sounds so.. so ruined. Wrecked. Tired.

"Frank," Gerard breathes before licking his bottom lip. "Frankie, I-- I need to see you. I c-can't, I--"

"I know," he whispers again. "I know about Bert I just-- I need to see you too. The kids need to see you. Orion looks so like you, you uh.. You haven't seen them in s-six years."

Gerard closes his eyes and bites his lip. Orion is six, fucking hell. Phoenix is nine and Max is seventeen. Holy fuck, seventeen. "I need to see them. Frank, I-- Where do you live? I'll leave now! I'll get the earliest plane, I have to."

Frank laughs quietly after sniffling. "California. H-Huntington. By the beach. Leave in the morning, Gee. The kids ar--"

"I'll get there by morning if I leave now. I don't-- I have to get away from Bert as soon as possible. As soon as he realises I'm gone he'll know I've come to Mikey's and he'll find me a-and he'll--"

"Stop there," Frank interrupts. "I don't want to hear what he'll do. Okay," he gives his address to Gerard as Mikey calls for a taxi. "I'll uh, wow," he giggles happily and Gerard genuinely smiles because fuck it's been six years since he's heard that. "I'll see you in the morning then."

"And you'll see me every day from then," Gerard whispers. "I'm so sorry Frankie. I can't believe I did that shit to you. I'll never do it again, I promise, I--"

"I know, Gee. Get yourself sorted before the taxi comes and I'll be at the airport with the kids tomorrow morning."

"O-Okay," Gerard bites his lip to stop grinning. "Frank?" Frank makes a questioning noise and bites his lip. "I love you."

Frank grins and Gerard can practically feel it through the phone. "Yeah," he squeaks. "I love you too. Now seriously, go. Go."

Gerard hangs up and gathers whatever he can and thanks Mikey a hundred times before getting into the taxi waiting outside. He tells Mikey he'll call him when he gets to Frank's and that he loves him. Mikey smiles and nods before waving Gerard goodbye.

Gerard spends the whole ride to the airport grinning like a mad man. 'This is it, he thinks, 'We're going to be a family again. We're going to be happy and nothing will stop us.'